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Thupeyo Muleya-Beitbridge Bureau
FOR six months, Boniface Moyo (28) of Gukhunze, some 60km north west of Beitbridge town under Chief Stauze’s area, had become a demon that was hard to exorcise.
The man who attacked as a rapist and robber became a menace that many still do not want to recall.
Moyo, a convicted three-times rapist, three-times robber and burglar, commonly known as Bony in the Beitbridge district, will spend the next 57 years behind bars.
He is lucky to have 17 years of his combined 74 years of sentences suspended on condition he behaves himself for five years when he eventually comes out.
A mere mention of his name would send shivers down the spine of most women in the village.
A cruel, calculative rapist and robber, he always did homework on his prey. His targets were women at their homesteads who were always without men.
He would strike at night, rape them, strip them of their valuables and walk away.
He would hide in the bush or skip the border across the Limpopo River into South Africa.
This routine modus operandi ensued he got away with his crimes for some time.
Several men have had fruitless night vigils searching for Bony.
The police, the community, and traditional leaders were all united with one common enemy for the past six months.
But every search party in Mugaladivha, Tshapfutshe, Fula, Zezani, Malusungane, Lutumba, Nuli, Mpande, Musane, Tshimanga, Tongwe and Dite yielded nothing.
The man was fearless. Some even suspected he was using juju to elude arrest.
To Bony crime had become a way of life.
However, his reign came to an end when he was recently arrested for violating immigration laws in South Africa.
As is standard procedure, he was formally deported and ran out of luck when the Zimbabwean police picked him up during routine screening.
Subsequently, he was taken to court on three robberies, three rape and one burglary charge.
The man had just come out of prison last year where he had served 30 months for burglary.
It seems to him that was not enough to rehabilitate him.
Bony started his crime spree shortly after being released from prison last year, after serving 30 months for a burglary in 2020, but not learning from the experience.
Hauled before Beitbridge regional magistrate, Mr Innocent Bepura on Thursday, Moyo pleaded guilty to all the seven new offences.
The three armed robbery charges were taken as one for sentencing and he had five years of the 20 years conditionally suspended.
The rapes, as crimes against the person, were more serious and Mr Bepura handed down a combined 45 years. Fifteen years were suspended, leaving 30.
The unlawful entry attracted 12 years, with two years suspended. This high sentence for this offence follows from the fact that he was a repeat offender.
According to the court documents, Bony unleashed his wave of violent crime between December last year and March this year.
The court heard that Moyo attacked three women and robbed them of cash worth over R20 000 and an assortment of valuables.
During the course of his crime spree, he raped three women after threatening to kill them. He also stole cellphones worth thousands of dollars from one homestead in Mugaladivha.
He mainly targeted homesteads in the Zezani, Malusungane, Fula, Mugaladivha and Tshapfutshe areas. After committing the offences, he would hide and stay in the bushes or skip the border into South Africa.
The news of his arrest and caging has come as a huge relief to the Beitbridge community which had had over six months of sleepless nights.
“I am glad that he has been arrested as this is definitely a step towards the healing process and getting closure on the part of the rape survivors,” said a renowned social worker, Mrs Babongile Gora who operates a facility for victims of gender based facility in the border town.
“You will note that the rape survivors usually deal with the post-traumatic stress disorder of being violated against their will. Long term effects are usually suicidal thoughts, depression and low self-esteem.
“So, the arrests of the perpetrators normally bring closure on the survivors as they feel that at least they get justice, as opposed to those perpetrators who get acquitted.”
She said healing time for the rape victims depends on individual circumstances.
For instance, Mrs Gora said a survivor who gets gang raped by unknown people might take longer to heal as compared to someone who gets raped by a known perpetrator.
She said sometimes the healing is determined by the psycho-social support that the survivor receives.
According to a Beitbridge man who was based in South Africa, Mr Eric Danda Mulaudzi, the police and the justice system had done a good job in the Bony case.
“It is never easy for one to live in peace knowing that someone will pounce on your wife and children one night while you are away,” said Mr Mulaudzi.
“Just like anyone else who is not living with his family at the village, I am relieved that my children and wife are safe. I want to commend the police in Beitbridge for not giving up in bringing this man to justice.”
Tshapfutshe area’s senior village head, Mr Oscar Managa Singo, said the community was now at peace and that it was pleasing that the courts had handed down a very deterrent sentence.
He said the man had become a nightmare to many villagers and that offenders would also learn from his case.
“No matter how long a criminal may decide to play hide and seek, the long arm of the law will always catch up with them,” he said.
A member of the local District Crime Consultative Committee, Ms Rumbedzani Ribombo, said it was very critical for community members to work together with the police in bringing criminals to justice. Most villagers were now at peace following the imprisonment of Bony.
“Since he started with his criminal activities, the community and the police have had a good working relationship in trying to bring him to book,” said Ms Ribombo.
“It took time for him to be arrested, but it’s never too late. I want to also appeal to some community members to avoid harbouring dangerous criminals. These have a high possibility of harming their hosts when cornered.”
Mr Oscar Mbedzi from Swereki area lauded the imprisonment of Moyo.
He said the man had become a threat to peace to most villagers considering that some of them were living far from the police posts in the district.
The police officer commanding Beitbridge district Chief Superintendent Tichaona Nyongo said welcomed the sentence handed down to Bony.
“We are also happy to note that all arms of the law including the judiciary is complementing our efforts as the police working together with members of the community,” he said. “In addition, we are grateful to the local media which has been following up on this case. his effective sentence that is twice the accused’s age will go a long way deterring would be offenders.”
Only time will tell how long the victims of Bony including those who failed to report him will heal.
Online Reporter